Vermont FOIA Laws

Vermont Open Meetings Law

The Vermont Open Meetings Law legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted. Title 1, Chapter 5 of the Vermont Statutes define the law. The law states that a meeting is any gathering of a quorum of the members of a public body for the purposes of deliberating or deciding on public business. On site inspections are exempt. If violated, the courts may assess penalties of up to $500.

Closed: Contract negotiations; employee matters; certain real estate matters; disciplinary records of public employees and students; and other records/documents exempted in Title 1, 317b; and discussions that would result in a clear and imminent peril to public safety.

Vermont Public Records Law

The Vermont Public Records Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Vermont. Public records includes all documents, no matter the physical form that are “produced or acquired in the course of public agency business.”

Anyone can request public records and a statement of purpose is not required. The Vermont Public Records Law places no restrictions on the use of public records. Records denials must be issued within 2 days of receiving the records request.